


The Blood is the Life.

by SaayaKennedy



Series: The Blood is the Life [1]
Category: Vampires (1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bloodlust, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Magic, F/M, Fights, Human/Vampire Relationship, Magic, Occult, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Random & Short, Rough Sex, Sex, Vaginal Sex, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Sex, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-03-31 00:30:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13963404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaayaKennedy/pseuds/SaayaKennedy
Summary: *Takes place after John Carpenter's 'Vampires' ends and Valek is assumed dead as if Vampires Loa Muertos does not happen.*Eve Crow has spent her life trying to make her Father proud. After all, it isn't easy to live up to the reputation of a father like Jack Crow. But then, no one is better at hunting the undead than Eve Crow. With her Daddy's attitude, killer job, and thirst to prove her worth, she's basically unstoppable. But what happens when she finds out that the terrible dreams she has don't belong to her? What happens when she finds out betrayal goes hand in hand with her mission. What's a girl to do when she discovers that true evil can't really die?





	1. Don't I know you?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first crach at fanfic. Be gentle! <3 Also let me know what you think. Thanks!

She savored the harsh feel of the brittle winter air as it pumped through her lungs, the burn in muscles being worked to the maximum, and the thrill that her prey could turn on her at any moment and give her the fight of her life. There was nothing Eve loved quite so much as hunting Vampires. They were as smart if not smarter than humans, and far stronger. At least they were stronger than most. For some reason they fell more easily for Eve than for her fellow hunters. Finally, the Vampire halted, having hit a dead end of brick and metal. The city was her favorite place to hunt. There were so many places to corner them here.  
Eve wasted no time in pulling the trigger, grinning a bit maniacally at the 'thwack' sound the wooden bolt made as it hit home and the metal claw at the end extended, making sure the bolt couldn't be pulled out. In her hands she held the rope, and started pulling the vampire forward, towards her. It was a struggle, but she was strong. She kept the blood sucker contained until the truck finally caught up to her. Damn city traffic.  
"Hook her up Tim!" She yelled. Her fellow hunter did as asked right after she got the rope hooked up to the cage in the back. Once the sucker was good and captured she hopped in the back too, pushing the Vampire into the dog crate they'd procured for this purpose. It had been reinforced of course. She pounded on the roof of the truck and managed to keep her balance when Tim hit the gas. She grinned at the vampire who was busily trying to get the bolt out. "I'd leave it if I was you. You'll lose an awful lot of blood if you pull it out and no one here is feeding you."  
The Vampire roared and pounded against the cage, until he realized there was no point. Eventually, His gaze went from cornered animal to intelligence as he studied her features.  
"Don't I know you?" She raised a brow.  
"I am pretty bad ass. You might've heard of me. But we never met." She smirked, taking an apple out of her pack and biting into it.  
"Oh, but you look familiar. I have seen you..."  
"This some sort of ploy to get out of dying?" She wondered, raising a brow. He'd be dead already if the Father didn't want one alive. "It won't work. I might shoot you with another bolt just to shut you the fuck up." She bit down on her apple again.  
"Pretty Hunter, you remind me of someone." Now she was a little curious.  
"And who the hell do I remind you of? We don't run in the same circles leech." She rolled her eyes, feigning disinterest.  
"A dear friend of my Master. Jan Valek." Panic shot like lightening up her spine and before she could stop herself she'd thrown her dagger through the Vampire's shoulder much to his agony.  
"If you wanna die quick, you better not say that name." She threatened, fixing him with her fiercest glare. It worked because the creature blanched and backed away, shutting his mouth. She shook her head, continuing her apple snack. Reminded him of Jan Valek indeed! If her Father had heard that the Vampire would be undergoing slow torture now. She pulled out a worn leather bible, tracing the gold filigree that spelled out Jack Crow. It had been a gift from her Father for being chosen as a Hunter by the Vatican. She flipped to a passage that she'd seen her father read thousands of times. 

Deuteronomy 32;35  
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

Marking the page was an ancient illuminated pamphlet of a man shown in front of a brilliant sun. His aquiline masculine features and long jet hair were familiar to her. Not only had she seen the old pamphlet a thousand times, but she'd had nightmares about this blood sucker her entire life. She wanted to crush the ancient paper, but as always she couldn't quite bring herself to do so. Her Father knew of the darkness in her nature and that above any other reason was why he'd gifted his bible to her. It was her most precious possession and she knew much of the verses by heart. She was as devout as any other hunter. She sighed and immersed herself in the text, using the words as armor against temptation, for she desperately wanted to kill the vampire she'd been ordered to capture alive.  
Hell, there were a great many things she desperately wanted that she had to deny herself. There was a darkness in her. That's what Jack had always said. Dear old Dad had recognized it early on and taken measures. He'd been strict with her, and very hard. But it meant she could be free to live life as a Hunter now and that was the only outlet she had, the only thing that she could indulge in. She ached to sin, and that was the truth she confessed to the priests time and again. He sinful soul longed for liquor, sex, and indulgence. To be honest, she'd have enjoyed her job as much had it been humans she hunted. Every single day was a study in self-denial and control for her. She closed her eyes, pretending to pray, but really she just wanted to avoid further conversation with the Vampire who'd compared her to her Father's arch enemy.  
She'd grown up knowing Jan Valek's name. Every hunter knew it. Every hunter feared it regardless of how dead the Master Vampire was. It was still only spoken in whispers, except by Jack Crow, who uttered it as if it were the vilest of curse words. Finally, the truck came to a lurching halt and she stood, grabbing the rope and jumping down once the back doors opened. The rope was attached to a winch and some of the acolytes reeled the vampire inside the holy place. As soon as he crossed the threshold it was clear the creature suffered. It was brilliant really. The priests wouldn't need to get their hands dirty. Just breathing sanctified air was torture to the creature. The Hunters were dismissed quickly but respectfully and told to make themselves at home. That meant food. She rabbit punched Tim in the arm, getting a chuckle from Eric and Dobby. (so named for his giant ears.)  
"That means food bitches! Last one there washes dishes." With that she was sprinting for the mess hall, with the men hot on her heels. She beat Tim there by a fraction of a second and did a ridiculous victory dance that never failed to make everyone around her laugh. Eric was last in and had to endure their good natured ribbing about how he was slower than molasses and how they'd be checking the dishes for dirty spots while he cleaned them later. She scarfed down her food faster than everyone else and good thing too because it didn't take long for an acolyte to come to her side.  
"Miss Crow? The Father wishes you to be present for the questioning."  
"On my way." He nodded and she stood up, pushing past him, walking to the depths of the seminary college. She was admitted with no hold up and she only hesitated a little when she saw what condition the vampire was now in. He looked like he'd been at the mercy of madmen for weeks rather than an hour. "What's up?" She questioned, moving to stand next to Bishop Donovan who was head of the church here.  
"Our new friend here says you remind him of Jan Valek."  
"Obviously he's lying." The Bishop studied her intently.  
"I can see a resemblance, still I must ask, have you been bitten?"  
"Definitely not padre. I'm clean and Valek is dead." She shrugged, wondering why they were having this conversation.  
"We think he is dead my dear. That doesn't mean he is."  
"With respect, my Father killed him. When Jack Crow kills something it stays dead." She insisted. The Bishop chuckled and patted her shoulder affectionately. She raised a brow. If anyone else did that they wouldn't have hands. He was lucky he was a Prince of the Church.  
"It is endearing to know you have such faith in your father. That is as it should be. But remember that he is human. The only perfect father any of us has is in Heaven. Jan Valek was the first vampire and we do not know all." She nodded, trying to act properly humbled even though she thought the bishop was full of shit. "Now as for why you're really here, this is not the first whisper we have heard that Valek lives. His Holiness wishes to confirm once and for all so as to quell any disquiet or unrest the rumors may cause. Of course, were your Father alive still, he would have been called to service, but we thought it fitting given the history of your family to entrust this mission to you." She nodded, blood firing at the prospect of facing a legend like this one, even it were just symbolic.  
"Anything specific I should know or am I starting from scratch?"  
"We have managed to glean from this unfortunate creature, and the others your team has brought in, that Valek should he live, resides remotely in the wilderness around Betaket. It's a tiny fishing village in northern Alaska. This is a solo mission given its sensitivity. If you find he lives you are to observe and not be caught out. Learn what you can of why he is there, how he survived, and what his plans may be. Once you have learned all you may, you will report directly to Rome."  
"Understood. When do I leave?"  
"Tomorrow. I would prefer you arrive and establish yourself during the day when any Vampires will be hiding away. "  
"Agreed. I'm honored to be chosen for this task. Thank you for your trust in me."  
"You earned it my dear." He patted her on the shoulder which she bore with a bit more internal grace than before and made her way to her tiny room to get some rest. The bishop watched her go and one of the nuns came to stand beside him.  
"Does she truly not know?" The nun's voice was curious and gentle with inquiry. The Bishop sighed.  
"What? That she was not picked for her ability or the trust we have in her but rather because she is the only being living that could track Valek if he lives?" The nun nodded. She was a transfer and new to how this group was run. The group of hunters she ran with had been chosen to help her hunt, yes, but also to keep an eye on her. They were given the most difficult tasks for a reason. The only person who didn't know how unnatural their success was, was Eve herself. "No my dear. She has no idea, and the longer we can keep her in the dark the better it will be for all of us. She can barely resist temptation as it is." The nun nodded and said a hail Mary.  
"Let us hope that if Valek lives, she manages to resist it now."  
"Amen." He seconded. It was a calculated risk sending her alone, especially if Valek lived. But it was a risk that had to be taken. He cast his eyes upward. "God let me have made the correct choice."


	2. Northern Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve travels just north of Betaket, Alaska. What will she find as she hunts for the legendary Vampire Jan Valek? Is it just a wasted errand?

"Fuck it's cold." She muttered, pulling her jacket tighter around her body, trying to generate some warmth.   
Eve moved carefully in the forest she wandered, on the look out and very wary. The sun wasn't down yet but that didn't mean she wouldn't run into a bear or something else nasty. Trudging through forests wasn't really her thing, and yet here she was. It had been three days since she'd arrived in Betaket. She'd established herself at a tiny hotel that was usually only used by truckers. They were a rough lot but no rougher than hunters were. They made her feel oddly at home with their foul language and rough manners. She'd carefully searched the entirety of the tiny town. Actually, she thought it should be classified as a village, that is if the state of Alaska even remembered it existed.   
There was pitifully little to do in a town like Betaket. It was a bush town, full of wilderness folk and people who were running from or hiding from something. She'd learned you didn't ask questions about it. Still, she'd painstakingly looked through every pub, abandoned shack and remote building in the place to no avail. So she'd been forced to expand her search. Given the way the village was set up, and how secretive the people were, she couldn't very well rely on rumor or gossip. She wasn't well known enough to warrant honesty from these people. Not that she blamed them.   
That's why she was trudging through the forest, making a careful beeline for the last building she'd been able to learn of. It had belonged to a small family once, before they had decided to try their luck closer to a big city and abandoned their cabin. One of the local barflies in a moment of openness had told the bartender she saw smoke rising from it sometimes. It was a flimsy lead, but it was the only lead she had. She wanted to get there and get in a defensible position before the sun went down the whole way. She was nearly out of time now, and with every moment it seemed to get ever colder.   
Finally she arrived. The cabin was not as dilapidated as it should have been. Of course that could easily mean there were people who had moved in and no one knew about it, but she didn't think so. A feeling of excitement and foreboding filled her belly at the sight of the cabin. She looked around, eyes sharp and trained to miss nothing. There. Right near the side window were a few footprints. Someone had been by recently, but she saw no other sign of habitation.   
The cabin was big enough to have a couple rooms and a common area. The surrounding area for roughly 12 yards was all clear meadow that had become slightly overgrown. She could smell salt on the air and knew that the ocean wasn't far away. On the right side was a cliff face and she studied it, searching for any outcropping that would lend her an excellent view, yet keep her hidden from sight. It didn't take too long for her to find it and she climbed about ten feet up, slowly resting her weight on the craggy rock. If she laid on her stomach, she was able to just see over the edge of the rock and yet not be seen from below. She'd found the hidey hole none too soon, because it was only the space of a few breaths before the sun finally set and darkness consumed the world. She activated her night vision goggles and waited. For a long time nothing happened except for the Northern Lights making their gorgeous way across the sky.   
Then a light turned on. She shut the goggles off briefly and saw that it was the warm glow of a fire and not the garish light from an electric bulb. Someone had been inside the cabin this whole time. She watched intently, and briefly considered getting closer when the door opened and a woman tumbled out. She was stumbling and panicked. Eve could hear her cries for mercy echoing off the rock. No doubt she could be heard for miles around. But there wasn't anyone around for miles to hear her, so whoever was in the cabin clearly had no issues letting her scream. She took her eyes off what was clearly a victim and kept them on the door. It was another woman, this one sauntering and cocky. She couldn't make out features so she put on the night vision goggles again as the confident woman stalked towards the frightened one. Definitely a vampire. Still, not Jan Valek, and she wasn't supposed to interfere.   
"Sorry lady." She murmured, watching the female vampire toy with the woman. Several others poured out of the cabin in no particular order. It was a whole nest. She ached to hunt, but she didn't have the go ahead and she didn't have the right equipment, though part of her relished the challenge it would be to go after a whole nest alone and ill equipped and she couldn't bring herself to look away. After all, wasn't it odd that a nest would be here of all places? Vampires needed humans to survive, and there weren't all that many here. Even one person missing would be noticed. There was a reason most vampires stuck to heavily populated places.   
Finally, the screaming stopped as the nest had had their fill of her. She watched as they built a bonfire and partied, passing drinks around. Occasionally she would catch murmured bits of speech, but too muffled by distance for her to make it out clearly. She was freezing cold and going numb, and none of them looked anything like Jan Valek. With a sigh she abandoned her perch and climbed down. It took a long time, especially since she had to be certain she made no noise lest she draw their attention. She'd made it just into the treeline when she heard what they were saying.   
"When is he going to arrive?"   
"The Master comes and goes as he pleases, you know that. It's best not to question him unless you want to end up like our dinner over there."   
"He isn't our Master Corrine, you are."   
"He is my Master, which makes him your Master. You understand?" Eve halted, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Now that sounded promising. She turned back towards the group, all of whom she could see fairly clearly now. She made sure to get behind an especially large tree and kept her eye on them. Where would he come from? Was he still in the cabin? She didn't have to wait very long.   
A mere twenty minutes later a large man came from the opposite tree line, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd taken a risk staying where she was as he might just as easily have been coming from town. She couldn't make out his features and the goggle made sound when you turned them on. She was close enough that they might hear if she used them. She silently willed him to step into the light cast by the fire. All she could make out was a pair of black jeans and a long black coat. He also appeared to have pale skin and dark hair, but she needed to confirm those prominent facial features that were as familiar to her as her own; face. Corrine walked to meet him, bowing her head in reverence.   
"Master, welcome."   
"My thanks. It's very remote as I requested. Well done." His voice was deep but smooth and alluring. Gentle, almost. It struck a major chord in her. She'd heard that voice in her nightmares. How was that possible? She'd seen Valek's face once or twice in her dreams, which given his prevalence in her training was no shocker, but she KNEW that voice. Finally he stepped into the light of the fire and his features were revealed. Jan Valek. In the flesh, as I live and breath. She thought, her heart hammering. Why did she know and dream his voice? She let out a small gasp and immediately froze. So did Valek and every other vampire in the clearing. All of them were looking at the tree line where she hid, directly at her location. The only thing hiding her now was the tree. The word 'Fuck' ran through her head repeatedly and at exceptional volume. If they came to see what made the noise, she was going to have to fight.   
"Must have been a bear." Corrine's voice was nonchalant and dismissive.   
"Indeed." Valek murmured, and then the conversation continued. As soon as the focus was off her, she made her way ever so quietly back through the woods and into town. She didn't take a proper breath until she got inside her tiny hotel room, with all the doors and windows locked. Her head was spinning.   
All her life she'd had awful dreams. In these dreams she would be committing all manner of atrocity, though they weren't all bad. Still, anytime she spoke in her dreams, it was with that voice. VALEK'S voice. She just hadn't known it belonged to Valek until tonight. She looked at the bible her father had given her and she knew deep down in her soul, that this discovery was huge.   
"Fact finding mission indeed." She murmured. She certainly meant to get answers, and to get them she'd have to engage the demon himself. The church nor hunters really understood the psychic link between a vampire and one he'd bitten. She only knew as much as she did from Jack's stories. Had she been bitten as a child? She needed to know.   
And deep down. So deep down she couldn't admit it even to herself; she really wanted to meet the creature who'd created an entire race of monsters. She wanted to look into Jan Valek's eyes before she did what not even the great Jack Crow could manage, and killed the original vampire.


	3. Don't I know you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will happen when Eve does the unthinkable and goes against her orders? Will she discover why she recognized Jan Valek's voice?

She sat at the bar avoiding the rabid instinct to continually glance towards the door. The vampires had to hunt, and since it was too cold for people to be out and about outside, they would be forced to hunt in here. It had been several days since she'd first tracked them down, so it would have to happen soon. Not to mention she'd already managed to take out two of their number. It was a small nest and their loss would be felt by the rest. No doubt they were good an riled by now. Usually with a nest under threat, the Master vampire would reveal themselves. The woman she'd seen had yet to show. Then again, perhaps Valek was too smart for her little game. 

The door opened, letting a bitterly cold wind inside the warm bar, causing several patrons to grumble menacingly. Then again maybe he wasn't too smart. Valek paused just inside the door and took stock of the place, then came up to the bar. He hadn't noticed her yet and she took advantage of that to view him up close. She realized with no small amount of internal annoyance that he was quite attractive. More alarmingly, in person, she could see why people had compared them. She did look a little like him. She had the same pale skin and raven hair. Only hers was past her waist and fell in gentle waves. It looked like she'd dressed to match him even, in her black jeans, black cami, and leather jacket. She sat against the wall watching him, nonchalantly sipping a beer. 

Once he had the bartender's attention he leaned in, capturing her gaze in his own. It was captivating to watch him at work. The force of his compulsion could be felt even though she wasn't the one he was compelling. The poor man didn't stand a chance against Valek's power. 

"Have you seen a group come through town recently? They probably had at least five men and one priest. They would be a rough crowd. Trouble." 

"No sir, no one like that that I know of." Answered the bartender. 

"Has anyone new come to town recently besides me?" Valek's voice was calm. Unruffled. With that question, Eve knew her anonymity was over. By now everyone in town knew she was here even if they had no clue why. 

"Sure mister. Her." The Bartender pointed right at her. She didn't even pretend she hadn't been listening to their conversation. She jerked her chin up slightly by way of greeting and smirked. 

"You lookin' for me?" She kept her tone neutral and casually curious. Valek straightened and looked her over for a long moment before taking the seat next to her and signaling for a beer. He made to say something and then halted now that he was closer. 

"Do I know you, child?" Clearly something had startled him out of whatever he'd really meant to say. She smiled slightly. 

"I don't think we've met. I would have remembered." She murmured, taking a sip of her beer. "And I'm no child. Why are you looking for new people in town? This didn't strike me as the kind of place where people asked that kind of question." He cocked his head. 

"Are you running from something, then?" He seemed genuinely interested in her answer and she found herself wanted to give him the truth despite herself. Still, forewarned is forearmed and she was able to resist falling into a compulsion. No one had mentioned he could compel without trying to. 

"More like I'm searching for something." She intimated, leaning forward slightly, trying to act as if he were drawing her in. If he thought that was the case he was less likely to be careful around her and might let something slip. 

"And what is it you search for?" Narrowing her eyes and biting her lip she internally debated what she was about to do. It could give away everything, but she needed him to stay interested in her. Otherwise how was she to learn anything really good? 

"My Father." Valek clearly hadn't been expecting that answer. Good. "He abandoned me at birth and now that I'm old enough to be out on my own, I want to meet him."

"You think he is here?"

"That's the last lead I had." She lied. "The only thing I have to prove who I am is a bible he left me." She paused. "You know, now that I think of it, you DO look familiar to me." His gaze was calculating. He was suspicious. She was going to need to pull this off just right, otherwise he'd never buy it. "I think..no. Never mind. Sorry to bother you with all that. I tend to babble." She shook her head and looked away from him. It went against every instinct she had to look away but it was something no hunter would dare do and surely he knew that. She hoped it would put him at ease. 

"Oddly enough, I find you charming." He stated after a pause. It was absolutely the last thing she'd expected him to say. She couldn't help staring at him in surprise, nor could she help the slight blush. 

"Thanks, I think." She chuckled. 

"So, your Father left you a bible? How pious of him." 

"Right?" She smirked, and pulled it out. "It was already worn when he gave it to me. I've read it a few times too. Looking for anything that he might have left behind." She stared at him, biting her lip. 

"What?" His voice was gentle. 

"You look just like the picture. I wasn't sure before but I am now." She opened the bible up and looked down at the illuminated pamphlet she'd stared out countless times before, then back at him. She repeated a few more times, really selling the uncertainty. She needed him to trust her at least a bit. 

"May I see it?" He asked, holding his hand out. His nails were long and sharp. A part of his predatory nature he couldn't quite hide. She kept her gaze slightly awestruck and on him. 

"Sure." She handed over the bible, open to the pamphlet and her Father's favorite bible verse. His gaze grew intense when he saw the pamphlet, jaw clenching. 

"What is you're Father's name?" He questioned. Internally she grinned ear to ear. Outwardly she sighed sadly. 

"I think it's Jack." She shrugged.

"You think?" He questioned. She gestured to the bible he held in his hands. 

"A name is embossed on the front cover. I can't know for sure of course, but I assume that's his name." She watched while sipping her beer as he closed the bible and beheld the name inscribed on the front of it. His eyes widened and he stood immediately. 

"Jack Crow!" She pretended not to notice his clear agitation. 

"Yes. Jack Crow." She took the bible back and made a show of securing it back in her purse. "My adoptive parents knew nothing about him, so I don't have too much to go on. The Priest said he'd mentioned coming to Alaska." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm nuts, looking for leads so long after everything, but hey, a girl's gotta try right?" By the time she looked back at him he was studying her with an alarming stillness. "What?" Finally he answered. 

"What is your name?" She smiled. 

"I'm so sorry. I've forgotten my manners. My name is Eve. Eve Lancroix." She used her mother's maiden name. "What's yours?" She held out her hand to shake his. He still seemed almost disbelieving, but he shook her hand anyway. She was going to need to sell this before they parted ways. 

"My name is Jan Valek." She forced a look of shock. 

"What like this ancient pamphlet? No way!" She must have pulled it off because some of the suspicion left his face. Either that or he was better at acting than she gave him credit for. It was a dangerous game she was playing. 

"That is not as old as you think. It was made to look that way." He murmured as if it were an intimation, leaning in towards her, intensifying their conversation and connection. "I knew Jack Crow, once." She gasped and grabbed his arm. 

"Please, tell me anything you know!" She begged, forcing her urgency for answers about him into the act. That was what sold him because something inside him loosened up. He gently pried her off of him and smiled indulgently. 

"I'm afraid we did not know each other well. I can tell you he was tenacious, stubborn, and had a foul mouth and a sarcastic mind, but beyond that we were not close. The pamphlet is from a game we played together." Valek smiled to himself, unaware she knew what 'game' he referred to. He meant back when he'd attempted to use the black cross to enable him and his kind to walk in the day, and her Father had stopped him. The 'game' that was meant to have killed him. 

"Oh. Well, thanks for sharing at least that much." She made herself sound as disappointed as she could. 

"I tell you what, why don't I see if I can't find some current information on him through work contacts that we once shared and if I find anything we will speak again." She lit up. 

"Absolutely!" She took out a pen and wrote her number and address on a bar napkin, handing it to him. "I'm staying at the Falcon Inn for three more days before I have to go back home." He glanced down at it. I will likely not have anything by the time you return to Pennsylvania. I will seek you out there." She nodded. 

"Sounds good to me. Do I call you Jan or do I call you Valek?" She asked. His eyes glinted in the dim light. 

"Call me Valek." She nodded. 

"It was great to meet you Valek. It's getting late though, so I have to get some shut eye. But, hopefully I'll hear from you soon." She beamed at him before walking casually out of the bar. She didn't realize while she left that that last question had planted the seed of suspicion in Valek's mind, as if discovering Jack Crow's daughter in a backwater town where two vampires were killed wasn't already suspicious enough. Still, caution had never been in her nature. Why should tonight have been any different?


	4. The night visitor.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valek is as good as his word.

The sense of danger surrounding her modest suburban townhouse was palpable, like the electricity in the air just before a storm hits. She paused in the hall way just before the giant mirror and sighed. She was wearing jean shorts and a black tank top, her hair left to hang free and a bit mussed as she'd just woken from an impromptu nap in front of her small television. The dread and warning in the air were enough to have her up and on her feet even before her brain really started working. She'd looked at her surveillance cameras and there was nothing amiss. 

Still, you didn't survive as a slayer for ignoring your instincts. She was just about to gear up when the doorbell rang. She blinked a little and went to answer it, looking through the key hole. She just barely managed to hold back from gasping. Valek! Here he was ringing her door bell. She took a deep breath and opened the door, pulling on a polite smile. 

"Valek! I honestly didn't expect you to come!" His face was nearly unreadable and she knew without trying that he was suspicious of her again. She thought she'd had him fooled. She was going to need to act fast here. "Why don't you come on in." She moved aside and gestured him in. His expression loosened somewhat and he entered her home. He wasn't carrying anything on him and she wondered if he'd come to kill her. The sense of danger was still alive in the air around them. "Did you want some wine or beer?" She asked, leading him to the living room. 

Walking through her home with him at her back felt like swimming in the same pool as jaws, but she kept her step light and her breathing even, taking a seat on one of her overstuffed chairs. He watched her for a moment before taking a seat on her sofa, eyes roaming the room and taking everything in. Much of this was her mother's doing as it was her mother's apartment. It was an inheritance she'd not been able to get rid of. Most everything in here had been chosen by her late mother and it was the perfect cover for a Hunter trying to look like a citizen. If she really lived here, there would have been weapons and such all over. She'd never craved comfort like her mother had. 

Finally his gaze settled on her. 

"I admit I was not expecting this place." He murmured. 

"What were you expecting?" She leaned forward slightly. Would he call her out right here? 

"Nothing. I am not sure what to make of you Eve." 

"I get that a lot. Did you find anything out about my father?" 

"All I know is that he was part of a religious cult, who had a sacred mission of sorts. I am afraid it's all a bit strange." 

"Strange how?" She wondered. "What was the sacred mission?"

"To hunt down and destroy Vampires." His eyes missed nothing at all and she kept her expression under tight control, knowing he was trying to get her to give away anything that would confirm what he must suspect. Why did she have to go and make things so dangerous. She could have surely held his attention some other way. There was a long moment of silence during which they stared at each other and then she burst out laughing.

"Wait!" She gasped, nearly doubled over. "You're joking right? You're pulling my leg." After a moment she noted that he leaned back, a more relaxed posed than he'd adopted previously. 

"All too real a fact, I'm afraid. I spoke to some old friends and was told he was part of that group for a very long time. No one knows what happened to him after he turned forty." Eve sobered and bit her lip. It was Eve herself that had happened to Jack Crow when he turned forty. He'd retired and gone into hiding to raise her, for which she was grateful. She'd not been an easy burden to bear. 

"So wait, you're saying my father was nuts, and then he vanished?" 

"More or less. I am sorry I do not have more information for you." She nodded. 

"Hey, it's more information than I had so it's one step forward right?" She smiled at him and he nodded, offering her a small smile in return. She was just going to start asking him about himself when the sound of glass breaking from the second floor completely captured her attention. She was on her feet far faster than most people would be before she remembered she had an act to put on. "Did you hear that?" She asked. He stood up, looking at her as she looked up towards the source of the noise. 

"Yes. Perhaps you should phone the police?" 

"What if it was my cat?" She murmured. "She probably just broke a vase or something." That was ridiculous of course. She didn't own a cat, though her mom had, and there was still cat paraphernalia littered about. She made her way towards the stairs nonchalantly as if assuming nothing was wrong. She had to, because he was following her. This was a setup. He was testing her. She was going to need to pretend not to know how to fight. Crap. "Buttons!" She called, feeling super dumb. "Buttons, where are you?" 

We moved up the stairs and I made my way to my mother's old room. The door was open and there was a breeze blowing in through the open window. "Valek, I'm pretty sure the cat didn't do that. You're right, I should call the cops. Lets go back downstairs." She turned around and found him staring down at her, his expression unfriendly. "Valek?" 

"Who are you Eve?" She'd overplayed her hand or something. Damn. 

"I've already told you." A tall black woman stalked over to her side on silent feet. 

"There's no use lyin' to the Master." She hissed. It was the woman from the cabin back in Alaska. 

"The Master?" She pretended to be incredulous. "Are you guys from that cult you said my Dad was in?" She allowed fear to tremor in her voice, yet she wasn't at all afraid. She was...excited. She was alone, against impossible odds. This was just the kind of thing she liked the best. Good thing she wasn't completely unprepared. 

"Look, you guys are nuts..." With no warning she let herself go dead weight and dropped to the ground. No sooner did she hit then she rolled beneath the bed, grabbing the crossbow that was fastened to the bottom with tape. She rolled out on the other side and popped up, aiming the crossbow. Valek had moved aside, but his cronie hadn't. "Surprise bitch!" She chuckled, and then shot a silver tipped arrow through the vampire's heart. It wasn't enough to kill, but it was enough to stick her to the wall. She aimed at Valek who was simply watching her. "You didn't need to start anything Valek. I wasn't supposed to make this bloody." 

"Then you wanted information." 

"Pretty much." 

"And your plan was to take me into your confidence as an innocent young girl searching for her father? What makes you think such innocence compels me." 

"I think it compels you because it did. My plan was working. But I gave myself away. What did it? Did I overplay the Daddy thing?" She wondered. 

"You asked whether to call me Jan or Valek." 

"So?" She asked. 

"It indicated that you knew me as one or the other. Jack Crow called me Valek. When you asked if you should call me Jan, your expression was uncomfortable. If I was nothing more than a poster to you, you would not have had a real preference. That was when my suspicion began. The thing was well played until then." She nodded. 

"Good to know. Thanks for the tip. You'd better go, before I get unfriendly." They circled until he was at the window, the slight breeze twisting his hair about. Then he was out the window. She went to the sill and looked down where he landed. "Oh, Valek! Not all of what I said was a lie! Jack Crow really was my Dad! I'll be seeing you again." He smirked. 

"I look forward to it, daughter of a righteous man." Then he was gone. She turned around at a vicious growl. The minion was squirming on the wall. 

"Oh ya. Hold tight hun, let me grab my machete."


End file.
